Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-02-12

The first, perhaps the most interesting,
thing you see about the dead letter Office Is
the museum. Such a collection of curiosities
was perhaps never anywhere else gotten to-
gether. Nothing so much resembles it as the
exhibition of the handiwork Of the inmates
OF a mGatic asylum. Here are put in glass
cases a thousand and one things that cannot
be returned 10 their owners. There are a
dozen bottles of snakes preserved in alcohol,
the reptiles having been sent through the
mail alive. Lizards, horned toads. butter
flies, mice, and on one occasion even a live
canary. have found their way TO the dead
letter Office. Here are collections of all
sorts. There is a large case OF coins. in which
nearly every rare coin, both ancient and
modern, known to numismatics is to be seen.
The cowboy Of the west could easily equip
himself out OF this museum. There are re-
volverS Of every pattern conceivable, bull
dogs, self cookers, six shooters, Colts, der
ringers, vest pockets, to say nothing of pocket
rifles and rifle canes. OF hunting knives and
daCCers there are enough TO stock frontier
outfiJting store. There are tool>, chiselS,
hatchsts, hammers, buck saws, planes. Even
a grocer could make pretty handsome start
with what Is to be found in ;his museum. He
would have big boxes Of raisins, figs, jars of
honey, cans Of baking powder and other
thing too numerous To mention. The guam
tity ot fancy work III the way of things that
women crochet, knit, paint, embroider. patch,
quilt. and in hundred other ingenious WAYS
devise, would make fortune for a church
fair. Here are swords. flags, skulls, boxes Of
cigars. l,arkISes of tobacco, gold rings, pins,
bracelets, stec! traps, jack knives, bibles, por-
traits, some Of them hand painted and a cent
urv old In short, all sorts and kinds of
things.
p Tie main Office Is huge room two stories
high. with an iron gallery, reached by spiral
stairs. running around Its four sides. Here
sit at long tables the clerks who open and
classify the letters. Here the aim OF every
BODY j. 10 clear up the days work and keep
even with the 1900 dead letters that are re
ceiyed daily. Ten thousand letters every day
are opened and sent back to the senders.
Last year in this room there was found in
dead letters over 81 10000 in cash, drafts.
checks and money orders, which but for the
skill and honesty Of these clerks would hardly
have gone back 10 the owners through whose
carclgSSness it Was lost Tons upon tons Of
parcels are opened Ecre daily. Just before
Christmas an immense amount of this kind
Of mail matter is received 1t comes mainly
FROM New York city, and consists OF matter
srnt by foreigners living in this country to
,,eir lriends in the old country. The senders
IL g usually ignorant people, who DO not know
lat tie things they are sending hack to the
a,i home are dutiable in the country to which
thev are going. and so their packages quickly
fGi tbl ir way 10 the dead letter Office. These
things are sort j out and packed away III the
long. dark storage rooms in the basement, all
properly classified and accounted for At
the end Of the year they are sold at public
auction, and an account kept Of the proceeds
Of the sale, so that if at any time the owners
Fan identify the package the government will
pay him exactly the sum which the article
brought at the auction. Down in these